A Call To Twitter Action
In her book, It Takes A Village and Other Lessons Children Teach Us, Senator Hillary Clinton stressed the importance of a group approach to child rearing. She reminded us that, while a family is a distinct unit, each one forms a part of a whole, and that, when an individual unit is lifted, the entire group rises. While Clinton's message was specific to children and families, it also applies when it comes to Indie Business owners.
This was brought home to me in a real way last Saturday when a member of the Indie Beauty Network emailed me in great distress. She's married and the mother of young children. Tina (not her real name) had emailed me several months ago to share that she and her husband were going through counseling in an effort to save their marriage. Things were on a good track for a while, but as of last Saturday, they had fallen apart.
Touching Through Technology
Tina reached out through email to me, a fellow sojourner, a part of her village. A part of her tribe. I responded to her email immediately: "Call me." She did, and while I could not solve her problems or go through her pain for her, I lifted her up and prayed with her because she was open to that. I also reminded her of her intelligence (she has a master's degree), capabilities (her business is going well and she's also home schooling) and encouraged her as a fellow Indie and mother. I reminded her that she is fully equipped to rear her children as a single mom if that is what she is called upon to do.
Like most other Indies, Tina runs her business from her home. She is also a home schooling mom in a community where separation and divorce are taboo subjects. As Tina put it, "Everything is supposed to be perfect." Tina felt especially isolated because she realized that, for years, she had pretended that everything was perfect. Now that she was accepting the fact that things weren't perfect, she was at a loss, afraid for herself and afraid that her children might be unfairly treated once their friends found out that they no longer lived with their father.
Could Twitter Make a Difference?
As Tina and I talked, I pondered the enormous potential of social media in her situation. I found myself suggesting that she join me at Twitter and meet up with some other home schooling mom Indie Business owners who could encourage her and lift her up. Tina is not ready for that yet. But I have seen the power of Twitter and other social media outlets when it comes to building up the global village of women, men and families who are managing homes and businesses at the same time.
I think Tina is a bit skeptical of Twitter and social media in general. I was too. Weren't you? Did you think that anyone who you didn't already know would care one iota how you answered the question, "What are you doing?" Did you think that your life was boring and that strangers couldn't possibly be intrigued enough to read about how you feel from moment to moment throughout the day as you tend to your home and your family simultanously?
How many of you, like me, just didn't get it at first?
Reach Out And Tweet Someone
Tina doesn't yet know about the women I met a few days ago over at Twittermoms. She doesn't know that there's a huge and growing community of Indie Beauty Network members and other Indie Business owners gathering every moring to start the day, discuss breaking news, take their kids to the dentist and do all the things that must be done in order to manage home and a business, without compromising either.
Each One Tweet One
Each of us can pay our social media successes forward by reaching out to at least one or two new people every week. Will you put Tina on your list today? Will you help me tell her about the power of social media? About people like you who are poised to connect and share?
Will you leave a comment below so Tina can know that you are an Indie Business owner on Twitter. Maybe you even home school. Maybe you can tell her that, divorced or not, she's welcome in our community. Please leave your Twitter link so Tina and all of us can connect with you more easily and perhaps even follow you.
And Tina, if you're reading this, there's a wide world out there ready to embrace you and your family and encourage all of you to be your best.
For more inspiring tips for Indies, home managers and business owners, subscribe to Indie Business Blog today. I'd love to get to know you better and know that you're coming back for more!
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